Lorelei

[Faeried]

A tragic heroine from German lore. In despair over a faithless lover, she threw herself into the Rhine. In death, she has become a siren that haunts that river to this day, luring sailors to their doom. Neroli, sandalwood, ylang ylang.

A very pleasant, musky scent on me, with a hint of pine or evergreen peeking through the background. This was over all a delicate and light scent, and I really had to put my nose to it to get a sense of the scent. A lovely scent, but not something I think I'll be keeping. It's a bit -too- light for me.

[maijasu]

A very light, feminine, beautiful floral. I'm not sure if I need a bottle, but that's only because I like my scents a little louder. This one is very subtle, but I might wear it when I'm feeling girly and demure. I'll keep the imp and try it again!

[grifyn_whiffs]

Well, I like sandalwood, and I like ylang ylang too when it's not overwhelmingly cloying. I think Neroli is the same citrus-y note that got me in trouble in Succubus. Those usually go flat on me, and I'm the only Piscean who hasn't found an aquatic blend that works on her.

 

IN THE VIAL: Elmer's Glue. What? I try it again. Yep, that's what's making my nose wrinkle. No wonder I've picked this one up and put it down a few times. Eww? Here goes nothin'.

 

WET: Lemony. I guess that's the citrus note. Not a fake Pledge dusting sort of lemony, but a true lemon scent - kind of sour and acidic. It's overwhelming; a little too much to take. The sandalwood seems to bolster the lemon/citrus note instead of countering it, and I'm not smelling a ylang ylang note at all.

 

1-2 HOURS: Lemon. Lemon, lemon, lemon. And now, it's cleanser-style lemon. Bleah. Put neroli on the lists of notes that don't do it for me, because the other two notes here have worked in other blends.

 

DRY-DOWN: Lemon to the very end. I never *did* smell any ylang ylang. *sigh* Also, the lemon/citrus in this was so pervasive, I had to wash my wrist twice to get all of it, and this was only a test-dab.

[fiddledragon]

Wet, this smells very woody...I'm not getting sandalwood at all, but more of a hamster-cage woodshavings smell. It's not *bad*, but it's kind of odd for a perfume. Dry, it smells like hamster shavings and ylang ylang. After drying for an hour or so, it's a faint sugary sandalwood. This isn't great now, but sandalwood ages well, so I may put it in the "maybe" box and let it develop.

[Trish]

In the imp: sweet floral and a hint of citrus

 

Wet: The sandalwood immediately comes out. I can also recognise the ylang ylang which I rather like, and there's the almost fruitiness of neroli. It's very light and airy.

 

Drydown: Exactly the same.

 

Dry: The ylang ylang fades away, leaving sandalwood and neroli. Neither is dominating the other, they're perfectly balanced. It has no throw at all.

 

 

Any oil where sandalwood is the first thing I recognise is going to get some sort of positive response from me, and this is no exception. It's a lovely soft, airy, floral and sandalwood scent, very feminine without being girly. It's a bit too subtle and airy for my tastes, but I'm definitely keeping the imp.

[supremegoddessofall]

Not really getting the sandalwood so much, which is a shame because I love sandalwood. This is a pleasing scent though - very clean smelling, like fresh linens.

 

Score: 3 out of 5

[Eros]

In the imp, sweet, almost candy-like floral. On skin it goes through a short, soapy phase then dries down to a lovely, light-incensy floral with a hint of sweetness. Very pretty!

Edited October 1, 2006 by Eros

[julesofdenial]

This starts out really harsh on me, unpleasantly so; after a bit it starts to calm down and get a bit fruity. Not sure I'm picking up any of the individual notes in this, or maybe they just don't actually smell like what I thought they did. Honestly, at first I really didn't think I liked this, and was all set to swap it away... then an hour or so after testing it, I happened to catch a whiff, and realized it smells almost exactly like one of my best friends. I love the way she smells, and always steal extra hugs from her because of it.

 

...might have to swap it away anyway, since it's kind of creepy to smell like her, but it's at least a very comforting scent, to me, because of that.

[klavierbarrette]

imp/skin: y hello thar sandalwood.

 

in the background you can get a bit of the neroli and ylang ylang, but its pretty much all sandalwood. i like it though. won't need a bottle however.

[furygrrl]

In the imp: Paint (I get that a lot for some reason ) and the faintest hint of something sour.

 

On wet: The sourness is more pronounced, though there's a hint of almost herbal sweetness underneath. I'm not getting any note specifically at this point.

 

Drydown: I smell sandalwood first. Oh, and there's the ylang - I'm becoming more appreciative of ylang ylang, so I'm glad it's a somewhat dominant presence in this blend so far. When I inhale deeply, I get a dry, almost dusty sweetness that reminds me of that orange sugar powder you'd get in in a Fun Dip (or Lik-m-aid, or whatever those things were called ). A very interesting, yet pleasing combination!

 

Overall: This scent worried me at first - it was coming across as "generic-bought from a drugstore-old lady perfume". Now? ::sniffs wrist:: I smell like candied oranges! The sandalwood and ylang are still in the picture, too, keeping things from getting too saccharine, and really making for a nicely balanced group of notes. A very happy fragrance. 3.5/5

 

eta: spelling booboo

Edited October 27, 2006 by furygrrl

[swilde]

She's attractive, but I don't trust her. I was expecting something that smelled like wind off the water, something romantic, but Loralei is unsettlingly personal. A body smell, like sticking your nose in the crook of a strange woman's arm.

[LiberAmoris]

Loralei is one perplexing blend. I don't smell any neroli, sandalwood or ylang ylang in here. On my skin this plays across like a salty aquatic, briny and full of sea air. It's amazing how notes interact with each other to create such an amazing effect!

 

I'm not a huge fan of the aquatic category so I think ultimately this is one I will pass on to someone else. But I remain quite impressed by the blending artistry!

[slave1]

LORALEI

 

In Bottle: Sour floral

 

On Skin: This scent is quite soft and powdery, and the sour feel fades once it’s on my skin. The dominant note is the neroli on me, which is quite pleasant. It is a very soft velvety scent… a thin velvet, nothing plush… and the sandalwood helps with that feel. The ylang ylang is also quite light, which is odd because it usually amps on me. Here the three notes blend so well and compliment each other perfectly. It’s a beautiful delicate scent, but sadly only hangs around on me for about a half hour. Very light throw and very short wearlength.

[Dinerdulcinea]

imp: sharp sandalwood and ylang ylang.

 

wet: ylang ylang and neroli

 

dry. Nahhhh. Had to wash it off. STINKY!

[The_Merf]

In the imp: I detect sandalwood and ylang-ylang.

 

Wet: This is a very strong sandalwood at first, which is not surprising, since it is one of the notes that is strongest on my skin.

 

Drydown and wear: This reminds me very much of a classic women's perfume; perhaps it's the ylang-ylang that reminds me of "Chanel No. 5." However, it's not quite distinctive enough (I don't detect the neroli at all), so I've decided to swap it.

[glass_cat]

This scent was a freebie from the lab with my most recent order, and it was a very pleasant surprise. I'd noticed it on the BPAL site before, because I am just in love with the legend of Loralei, but I never ordered it because I tend to be disappointed by scents that have neroli in them. I don't hate them or anything, but they tend to be a little too "orangey" on me for my taste. That's what I expected from this one... neroli, to the point where I didn't really smell anything else in it... so it was literally the last one I sampled from my big pile of imps that came with my last order.

 

Color me surprised, because this scent is a winner. It's beautiful, delicate, and feminine, yet it still has a mournful, languid feeling of wistful yearning to it (probably the work of the ylang ylang) that is very fitting, considering the legend this is inspired by. That's exactly the type of scent I tend to go for, and I'm disappointed in myself for not giving this a chance sooner. I do smell the neroli, but it's merely a faint whisper of oranginess in the background that does not intrude on the other notes at all, but blends in perfectly, complimenting them instead. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that this is something of an aquatic blend as well, as those tend to work very well on me and make notes that I normally would think I don't like a little more hospitable. Even my cat likes it, and she normally steers completely clear of me if I'm wearing anything even faintly scented of citrus!

 

Overall this is a beautiful blend that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys light, wistful, feminine scents. I would also advise people who think they don't like neroli not to rule this one out because of it. This could be the one that works for you! I don't know that I'll be bottling this right away, as I have a lot of similar blends in 5mL already, but this is definitely one I'm going to be considering when I'm getting ready for summer. It's the ideal fragrance for lazy, thoughtful afternoons spent sketching or reading poetry.

Edited December 18, 2006 by glass_cat

[Voleuse]

Green, florals, sandalwood. It's a little disconcerting to my nose at first--the usual dryness of the sandalwood is submerged in something sharp, wet. Maybe the neroli? It's puzzling to my nose.

 

This almost strikes me as an aquatic scent, with wood, petals floating over it. It's light, feminine, but elusive. Enthralling, but also confusing. Hm.

[alliekat13]

The neroli is the dominant note in this blend, both in the imp and on my skin. To me this scent smells exactly like 4711 cologne, pretty much a citrussy neroli smell. It's good but not great.

[steffanina]

Loralei-

 

In Bottle: Sweet floral, a little lemony.

 

Wet: A lemony powdery note. The sandalwood is hinted at and I think that really grounds this scent.

 

Dry: Not too remarkable, stays floral, fades a bit quickly, but nothing noxious. I guess it's faint praise when you say, "Nothing noxious" about a scent, oh, well. ;-)

 

Overall: Okay.

[naeelah]

Wet, this is very strong on neroli. Dry, the neroli calms down a little. I can actually smell all three notes, pretty equally balanced. There's a bitter, slightly citrusy quality from the neroli, an almost spicy woody quality from the sandalwood, and a sweeter quality that I guess is the ylang-ylang. (I'm not so familiar with ylang-ylang).

 

The overall quality is light and a little bit musky. Not quite sweet, not quite bitter. Everything balances so well that it strikes me as a more traditional perfume, because it's not overwhelmingly floral, or woody, or fruity. (Actually, the neroli is quite bitter and not so fruity.) It has light throw and light longevity. It has only been a couple of hours, but it's quite soft now.

 

It's a nice women's perfume, but the neroli is so predominant on me that it's pretty gender neutral. As it smells on my skin, I could imagine it in a man. It's not bad, but it's not for me.

[n1k1ta]

Ylang ylang ylang! Loralei bashed me about the head and shoulders with ylang ylang. And I mean that in a totally awesome way. I didn't catch the neroli nor sandalwood at all for almost thirty minutes.

 

The sandalwood deepened the ylang ylang so it wasn't quite as magnolia/jasmine-y. Oh, but then the neroli added this floral-citrus note. I'm not sure how Loralei can be deep yet bright, but it is!

 

In about two to three hours, Loralei went to a incense-like perfume. I wish that the ylang ylang and neroli stuck around a little longer or were stronger. However, Loralei is definitely worth a second application to get the ylang ylang and neroli back.

[filigree_shadow]

When I first tried this one I liked it a lot, so much that I bought a bottle. However, that was a long time ago, and since then I've found a lot of BPAL scents that I like better than this one. It smells like sour neroli on me at first, but when it's dry the sandalwood becomes much more prominent. It becomes dry and slightly perfumey (from the ylang ylang), but it still manages to smell a bit watery. I like this scent just fine, it's just that it's no longer one of my favorites.

[bryghtrose]

In the bottle it smells slightly floral.

 

This was the first perfume where I could smell each note individually. When it was wet on my skin I smelled the slight citrus of neroli. As it was drying the ylang-ylang dominated. The sandalwood was all I could smell once it dried. There was no interplay--each note dominated once and faded away. It was a rather boring perfume in the end.

[ceiswyn]

In the bottle: At first sniff it's wood, but with a sharper edge than expected. The sweetness of flowers is behind it, faintly neroli. It's pleasant, but not inspiring.

 

On the wrist: On the wrist, instantly the flowers come through, initially very strongly ylang ylang with a faint backing of neroli, but as it dries the neroli comes into its own. There is wood backing them both; flowers climbing up an old, dry garden fence. Oddly, the sandalwood seems dryer than it usually does. And... how odd. The neroli/ylang combination seems to want to smell like blackcurrant.

 

One hour later: It's a very pleasant flowery smell (with only a hint of blackcurrant!) with the barest trace of wood behind. Nothing special, though.

[tanyak]

This is nice on me, but really didnt do anything special on my skin. I have many other BPal scents that will get used up before this one.

 

It IS nice, dont get me wrong, I am keeping the imp...but no big bottle for me.